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Rachael Parnell

When a consumer found out Aldi was selling a new product collection that looked akin to products from premium company Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

She hurried to her nearest outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for under £9 for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 price tag of the luxury brand 50ml product.

Its smooth blue packaging and gold top of both products look noticeably alike. While Rachael has not tested the high-end cream, she says she's impressed by the alternative so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and supermarkets for a long time, and she's part of a trend.

More than a quarter of UK buyers say they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This increases to 44% among millennials and Gen Z, based on a recently published study.

Lookalikes are skincare products that mimic well-known companies and offer affordable substitutes to premium items. These products typically have similar names and packaging, but sometimes the components can differ significantly.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Isn't Necessarily Superior'

Beauty experts contend some substitutes to high-end brands are decent quality and assist make skincare more affordable.

"I don't think more expensive is invariably more effective," says dermatology expert one expert. "Not every low-budget product line is poor - and not all luxury skincare product is the best."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," says Scott McGlynn, who presents a podcast about public figures.

Numerous of the items inspired by high-end labels "disappear so fast, it's just unbelievable," he observes.

Scott McGlynn

Medical expert another professional argues alternatives are suitable to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and face washes.

"These products will do the job," he explains. "They will do the essentials to a satisfactory standard."

Ketaki Bhate, advises you can save money when searching for single-ingredient items like HA, Vitamin B3 and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be okay in using a dupe or something which is quite low cost because there's minimal that can be problematic," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

However the experts also advise consumers investigate and note that more expensive items are at times worth the premium price.

With high-end beauty products, you're not only funding the brand and promotion - at times the elevated cost also is due to the components and their standard, the strength of the active ingredient, the technology employed to develop the item, and studies into the products' performance, she says.

Facialist she suggests it's valuable thinking about how some alternatives can be sold so inexpensively.

Sometimes, she states they could contain less effective components that don't have as many benefits for the complexion, or the materials might not be as well sourced.

"One key doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Podcast host Scott says sometimes he's purchased beauty products that look similar to a well-known brand but the item has "little similarity to the luxury product".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he cautioned.

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For advanced items or ones with components that can inflame the skin if they're not created accurately, such as retinols or vitamin C, she advises selecting research-backed companies.

The expert explains these typically have been through costly trials to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Skincare products need to be tested before they can be marketed in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company states about the efficacy of the item, it must have evidence to back it up, "however the manufacturer doesn't always have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference studies conducted by other firms, she says.

Read the Label of the Pack

Are there any ingredients that could signal a item is poor?

Components on the back of the tube are arranged by quantity. "The baddies that you want to be wary of… is your mineral oil, your sodium lauryl sulfate, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up